Dispenser



. E, WM. A.WH1TF1EL.D

DISPENSER Filed Dec. 6, 1939 Patented Aug. l2, 1941 UNETE eras rAreNTorsi-,ce

3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to dispensing devices, and moreparticularly to devices for dispensing tobacco and filling a tobaccopipe.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improveddispensing device for dispensing line cut granular or powdered material,and one in which caking of the material is prevented.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved tobaccodispensing device by means of which a tobacco smoking pipe may beconveniently and quickly filled without waste of tobacco.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the abovementioned character which is eiiicient in operation and inexpensive tomanufacture.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdetail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingwhich forms a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical, central sectional view of the improveddispensing device.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the device shown partly broken away and insection and also showing a smoking pipe in position to receive tobaccofrom the device.

Fig. 3 is a view of the device shown partly in cross section and partlyin elevation, taken along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view of the device shown in cross section, taken along theline and in the direction of the arrows 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view of the device, taken along the line5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, the device Shownincludes a container l0 which is preferably cylindrical in shape havinga bottom wall ll and a removable top wall or cover I2. Within thecontainer lll, adjacent the bottom wall II thereof, is a substantiallyhorizontal, removable wall or partition I3 which divides the interior ofthe casing I0 into an upper storage chamber i4 and a lower chamber I5,the removable partition I3 being provided adjacent the side wall of thecontainer l0 with an opening or passage I6 for the passage or descent oftobacco or other material by gravity from the upper chamber I i into thelower chamber I5. Positioned within the lower chamber I5, a cylinder Ilis formed integral with a plate I3 which extends across and seats on thebottom Wall of the container and the plate I8 may be secured to thecontainer bottom Wall by screws I9 or by other suitable means. 'I helongitudinal axis of the cylinder Il extends transversely of thecontainer I0 and the cylinder is provided with an upper opening or inlet2l through the side wall thereof, which opening 2li registersl with, theVopening It in the partition I3. 'The cylinder Il is further providedwith an outer reduced end portion 2I which projects externally of theerasing I0 through an aperture in the container side wall adjacent thebottom thereof, the reduced portion 2| having a discharge opening in itsouter end. Within the cylinder Il there is a plunger or piston22'adapted to discharge material, such as tobacco, from the outlet 2|,the tobacco entering the cylinder through the aligned openings It and 20under control of the plunger 22.

Extending vertically within the container lli there is a manuallyrotatable shaft or rod 23 for actuating the piston 2,2, the upper end ofthe rod 23 projecting externally of the container and being providedwitha manually operable knob 24 for conveniently rotating the rod. At itslower end, the rod A23 extends through an aperture in the removablepartition I3 beneath which the rod 23 is provided with a collar 25 forseating on an upper horizontal extension arm 26 of the plate I8. Theremovable partition I3 unattachedly seats on the rod collar l5, cylinderil, and on a pair of legs or pins Zta, which are secured toy thepartition and seat on the container bottom wall II. A crank arm 2l' issecured to the lower end of the rod 23 within the lower compartment I 5and a connecting link 28 is provided having one end thereof pivotallyconnected to the crank arm and having the other end thereof pivotallyconnected to the piston 22. It will be seen that by means of the knob2li, the shaft 23 may be rotated and through the crank arm 2l and thelink 28, the piston or plunger 22 may be reciprocated, the piston beingmoved 'outwardly andretracted each revolution of the knob. Preferably, apointer 29 is provided on the knob 2Q for cooperation with indicia, suchas a marker 29a, for indicating the operation of the plunger 22.

In Figs. land 2 of the drawing, the piston or plunger 22 is shown in itsextreme outward position in which position the outer end of the pistonprojects slightly beyond or past the outer discharge end of its cylinderil. When the crank 2l is rotated through 180 degrees from the positionshown in Figs. 1 and 2, the piston 22 is retracted and the outer endthereof positions within the cylinder such that passage 20 is completelyor fully open to permit tobacco or other material in the upper chamberI4 to pass or fall downwardly through the opening 20 into the cylinderThe removable partition |3 is provided with an upwardly extending boss3|] which is spaced from the operating rod 23 and on the upper end ofthe boss is mounted a rotatable, substantially horizontal plate member3| which overlies the openings or passages I6 and 20. The plate member3| may be rotatably mounted on the upper end of the boss 30 by a screwor by other suitable means. Carried by the plate 3| is a plurality ofequally and radially spaced conveyor members 33 for conveying or pushingmaterial or tobacco into the discharge opening I6. These conveyormembers 33 may be in the form of L-shaped plate members and are securedto and depend from the under side of the rotatable plate 3| to withinclose proximity of the upper surface of the partition I3. Also carriedby the rotatable plate member 3| is a plurality of upwardly directedagitator members in the form of pins 34 and these pins 34 and theconveyor members 33 may be rigidly secured together and to the platemember 3| by screws 35 or by other means. In addition to serving asagitators for the tobacco or other material to break up lumps or cakesthereof that might form in the storage chamber I4, the pins 34 cooperatewith a drive member 3S on the shaft 23 for rotating the plate member 3|.The drive member 3S includes a tubular portion 31 from which extendsoppositely directed arms 38 adapted to engage the pins 34 of the platemember 3| to rotate the latter, and the drive member 36 may be securedto the rod 23 by a pin 39 provided in the tubular portion 31.

In operation, assuming that the present device is used as a dispenser offine cut smoking tobacco, the pipe as illustrated in Fig. 1 is arrangedwith the bowl over the discharge end 2| of the cylinder I'I and then bymeans of the knob 24 the piston 22 is moved outwardly, thereby forcing aquantity of tobacco into the bowl of the pipe and at the same timeclosing passage 2i). Upon further rotation of the knob 24, the plunger22 is retracted and opens passage 23 permitting tobacco to fall downinto the cylinder in advance of the plunger for discharge the next timethe plunger moves outwardly. This operation may have to be made two orthree times depending on the size of the pipe and how full it is desiredto fill the bowl of the pipe with tobacco. The plunger 22 not onlydi-spenses the tobacco in certain quantities but also is adapted todispense the tobacco directly into the bowl of the pipe and further aidsin properly packing the tobacco in the pipe bowl. When the device isoperated to dispense tobacco, the plate member 3| is also rotated byrotation of rod 23 and the conveyor members 33 push or feed tobacco intothe opening I6, thereby assuring that the cylinder |'I will alwaysreceive a quantity of tobacco upon return of the plunger 22 to itsretracted position. In addition, when the tobacco is dispensed, theagitator members 34 operate to agitate the tobacco to prevent oaking ofthe same thus assuring there will always be loose tobacco in positionfor movement by the conveyor members 33 into the discharge opening I6.

While I have shown and described my dispenser with respect to thedispensing of pipe tobacco and the filling of a tobacco pipe, it will beunderstood that the device can be used for dispensing such othermaterial as, for example, coffee, tea, sugar, etc.

What I claim is:

l. In a dispenser of the character described, a container having a lowerwall provided with an opening therethrough for passage of material insaid container, a cylinder within said container beneath said lowerwall, said cylinder in the side wall thereof having an openingcommunieating with the opening in said lower wall for passage of thematerial into said cylinder, said cylinder having an outlet for passageof material externally of said container, a plunger in said cylinderoperable to discharge material from sai-d outlet, manually operablemeans externally of said container for operating said plunger, meansoperatively connecting said manually operable means and said plunger,means for moving material into said opening, and means operativeiyconnecting said last-named means and said manually operable means andoperable to agitate the material in said container.

2. In a dispenser of the character described, a container having aninternal removable wall dividing the interior thereof into an upperstorage chamber and a lower discharge chamber, said wall having anopening therethrough for passage of material from said upper chamberinto said lower chamber, said container having a bottom wall having acylinder in said discharge chamber extending transversely of saidcontainer, said cylinder having an inlet opening in the side wallthereof in communication with the opening in said removable wall andhaving a discharge outlet for discharge of material externally of saidcontainer, a plunger in said cylin-der for discharging material fromsaid outlet, a vertically extending manually operable shaft extendingexternally of said casing crank means operatively connecting said shaftand said plunger, a plate member rotatably mounted on said partition insaid storage chamber, a plurality of plate members carried by anddepending from said plate member for feeding the material into saidopening, a plurality of spaced upwardly directed extended memberscarried by said plate member for agitating the material, and meanscarried by said shaft and cooperable with said extended members forrotating said plate member.

3. In a dispenser' having a storage chamber provided with an outlet formaterial, a rotatable plate member overlying said outlet, a plurality ofspaced depending members carried by and on the underside of saidrotatable plate member for pushing material to said outlet, a pluralityof spaced agitator members carried by said plate member and extendingupwardly therefrom respectlvely from said first members, and meansconnecting said first-named members and said agitator members togetherand to said plate member.

ALBERT WHITFIELD.

